July 10, 2009 (Jen)

After the storm....

Last night we had a really bad storm, solid lightening, straightline winds (65-70 mph) and rain for 2 hrs. Started around 3am. Electricity went off around 3:30. Me and the dogs (Fynn, Sophie and Nora) sat huddled in the living room waiting for the roof to fly off. The lightening was so intense and so constent that you couldn't look the window for more than a few seconds without being blinded. At one point I looked out the kitchen window (to see if the wicked witch of the west was flying by) and the young sweet gum was practically horizontal. I knew it was bad.

I was worried about the new pup, Izzie Bella, the sheep, the pyrs and the horses. It was hailing on and off but not steady and didn't sound like really large hail. Then I heard the loud thump to the west of the house. All the dogs jumped as did I. I'm always afraid that old half dead cedar is going to fall on the house, was today the day?? I looked out the window but I really couldn't see anything but a large object in the yard, couldn't make out what it was. The winds grew worse and we moved into the kitchen which is on the southeast side of the house, the storm was blowing in from the northwest. Seemed logical. And its the farthest away from the cedar tree.

I didn't think it was ever going to stop. I knew it was a large storm as I'd gotten on the internet just before the electricity went out and I could see it was still over St Joe and the second wave was due to hit an hour after the first. There really was no break, just a small easing and then it started back up again. I could hear lightening striking and branches cracking...just like my heart. I worry so much about the animals, there is no way to make them completely safe and not knowing this storm was coming, the barns were closed up tight so they had no way to get in (the boys actually did get into a barn, I think the gate blew open). I simply couldn't go out in that lightening so I had to pray they would be ok. My biggest concern was puppy Bella. She's only 10 weeks old and this was her first big storm.

As soon as there was a small break in the lightening, I grabbed my raincoat and ran out with my flashlight. I'm a real chicken when it comes to lightening and halfway across the yard I realize I'm holding a metal object and BOOM, there's a crash of lightening and thunder, darn near peed my pants. So I run faster, grab the metal gate, with the iron chain (good grief) and throw it open. I shine my light around the garden where the lambs and Bella should be and I can't find them. Don't panic I tell myself, they're here. I shined the light to the corner under the eves of the lambing shed and there they are. Three out of 4 lambs anyway, Gabe is over munching on an elm branch that fell (sheesh). Little Izzie Bella is standing underneath Nike and Zeus looking like a drowned rat. Poor baby!!! Don't worry, I kept that to myself (must be strong) and opened the door to the lambing shed assuming they'd run in after me. Bella did, she's no dumbie but the boys just stood out in the rain baaing at me. Well come ON I said and poked them in the butts to get them moving. Finally they followed, Gabe reluctanly left his elm branch, he didn't want to stay out there by himself! Ears flapped as they shook themself off and I returned my attention to Bella. I picked her up wanting to make sure she was ok and she was shaking like a leaf. Oh dear. Storm phobia now officially installed. Can't I have an LGD without storm phobia? Well, how can I blame them, I would too if I had to be out in that. Tucked her away in her pen (she was not pleased) and went out to investigate the object in the yard.

I'd caught a glimpse on my first race thru the yard and knew a tree was down, just wasn't sure which one yet. By the time I came out of the lambing pen, the sky was starting to lighten and I could see it was not the half dead cedar (oh no, couldn't be THAT one!), no it was the bigger nice one. Snapped clean in half and now laying in the yard. Branches from it were strewn all across the yard in a straight line to the south. I walked around the front of the house to see some damage to the roof. I started lightening again so I raced back in and it had one last burst before finally ending.

Later I drove into town and there were areas of bad damage. There is one field on the way to town that we've always admired. Very well manicured, pretty old oak trees, just the kind you see beautiful horses grazing in. I'd say half of those oaks were toppled and across the road near a baseball field, several more big old trees were snapped in half or split down the middle. Fields of corn lay nearly flat and I saw the big door peeled back off a machine shed. They say it was just straight line winds but some of that damage looked like a tornado, not just winds. I'm starting to think these kinds of storms are typical for this area, not a pleasant thought.

On a happier note, Bridget and I finally installed a proper gate on the north end of the red barn. No more sagging cattle panel! Granted its too big for the opening but it was either too big or too small, not too hard to make that decision. Eventually I'll probably build doors but this will suffice for now. We were pretty proud of it, there's just something very pleasing about hanging a gate. Love to swing it back and forth once its hung, just like a kid with a new toy!

Don't forget to visit our store, we have lots of roving available and I'm spinning up yarn as fast as my fingers can handle it! I don't have all the yarn listed yet but if you're looking for some for a project, just shoot me an email and I can spin some up for you!

 

April 29, 2009 (Jen)

Rain...

It just goes along with Spring. Every year I now curse the skies about this time and I despise the merry saying "April showers bring May flowers". Bah humbug. I believe we've gotten around 7 inches of rain in the past 5 days and its still raining as I type this. I actually used to like rain, I like the dreary days, the gloomy skies and the rolling thunder. What I don't like is MUD. I really hate mud. As a kid growing up on a dairy farm, mud was our enemy. Cows create mud pits that when you walk thru them, you loose your boots...and then your balance. No fun. Thankfully sheep don't create as deep a mud pit as cows do but with this much rain, it just doesn't matter. Mud is mud, it all sucks.

Today I drove home from work in driving rain. Thankfully I had my JD Robb book on tape to keep me sane. By the time I got here, the rain had let up some and I trudged in to get my work clothes on to do chores. Normally I don't mind chores, especially when lambs are involved. However, when mud is involved, I don't. I mixed up Eve's meager milk ration (we're beginning weaning, thats a whole nuther blog), grabbed the Pyrs food and headed out. I could see Daisy's head peeking out the door, waiting for dinner. I scooped up grain for the ewes, emptied out the water from the troughs and soon as the grain hit the troughs, they all come flying out the door. They're no fools, they don't want to stand in the rain any longer than necessary. I slosh back for more grain to fill the creep feeder for the lambs. I enter the lambing shed and ICK, it is really nasty in there. That happens when the sheep spend all day in it and the rain is soaking the bedding around the openings. I continue on to fill Eve's bucket with milk before she tackles me and then go to the creep feeder to fill the lambs trough with grain.

I should explain how the creep pen is set up. Basically its surrounded on 3 sides by cattle panels, the other side is the wall. We cut a hole in one cattle panel just big enough for the lambs to go thru so the ewes can't get in. This allows the lambs to eat as much grain as they want, when they want. They don't over do it because they're still getting a milk from mom.

Well, today while I was pouring the grain in the creep feeder, Rose, one of the yearling shetland/BFLs, decided to sneak in (stupid me left the gate slightly open). She's kinda skittish so when I attempted to shoo her out, she decided the hole cut for the lambs was her only escape. Didn't seem to occur to her that the gate was was still standing open and was how she got in (duh). Needless to say, she didn't entirely fit thru the hole. The force of her attempt, removed the cattle panel gate from its homemade hinge and off she went across the shed with the gate around her middle. She didn't get far. She headed for the door to the garden and got stuck. So I grabbed her back legs which were tangled in the panel, untangled them and pulled her back thru. She was quite relieved.

However, by this time the rest of the ewes had easily gained entry to the creep feeder. Not so hard when the gate is missing. Ever try getting ewes away from a trough full of grain?? Not so easy. I banged the bucket on their heads, grabbed ears and necks but every thing I grabbed was slick with rain, mud and lanolin...and soon so was I. Tell me again why I do this??

April 20, 2009 (Bridget)

We are now on the tail end of lambing. Pun intended. We have one and possibly two Ewes to lamb. We have 20 lambs so far.

It is interesting to watch the different personalities develop. We have Evie -a bottle lamb who loves to play with the Border collies and follows Jen on all her chores. She was rejected by Cybil who only loves Lucy her other twin. Then there is Nike a black ram lamb who was one of the triplets born to Julia. He too loves human company and stands out with his black fleece doted by streaks of white. The crybaby of the group is a white Cheviot born to Daisy. She has a ba on her that could shatter glass! And she has a whole lot to say.

The last two Shetland lambs Anya and Gabe are incredibly small. Little Anya only weighed 4 lbs when she was born. She looks more like a puppy than a lamb. In contrast is Zeus. He is a signle lamb born to Lemara (a BFL). He is 13.5 lbs and has the most interesting fleece-almost a gray saddle over black fleece. Lemara showed us that it is possible for a BFL to have a single rather than multiples!

And the lamb races have begun! Right before dusk seems to be the favorite time... And they are off bouncing, leaping and jumping in clear abandon!

Yesterday after everyone got wormed and their vaccinations the went out into the pasture. Mothers temporarily abandoned their babies for the fresh grass and the day was punctuated by the panicky calls to mothers from confused lambs. Everyone eventually finds their family and when the all gather back in the lambing shed in evening it is a true easter scene

The mothers install their babies between themselves and the wall and the little heads peak over their mothers back as we do the last check of the sheep for the night. It is a peaceful scene that belied the drama from earlier in the day.

One of the non-pregnant Ewes went postal and decided she was going to try and steal a baby of her own. She attacked several Ewes who had lambs. Nora was hero of the day as she herded the crazed Ewe back into the lambing shed. Jane has been confined and is awaiting trial for her felonious behavior...it doesn't look good.

March 31, 2009 (Bridget)

"Lambing!"

Well the city woman got her education on real farm life this lambing season. Last year we bemoaned the fact that we missed the birth of all the lambs. Not so this year. Oh no definitely not so this year.

It started so nicely. One of the Cheviots had twins and Jen was there to describe it to me over the phone. Daisy knew what to do and nicely went into her pen to drink her molasses water and the lambs began to nurse and all was well.

Another Cheviot, Pam, went into labor while I was there. We were a bit nervous about Pam as she was a rotten mother last year. But those little muzzles and front feet nicely came out as they were supposed to and it was a wonder to watch. Another set of twins a boy and girl. And this year an excellent mother (lucky for her).

Goldie, one of the BFLxBL's, was next and produced the longest lamb I have ever seen (so far...). He just kept coming. Jen gave her a little help and then his twin ewe followed, both solid black. Had to have some help getting those two to breath and they were much slower to stand and begin nursing. But again it was good and I love rubbing them with straw to help Mom dry them off.

Then the slide started. Julia who will be known as "Mutton" from this point on. Mind you I am the great animal lover. The butt of all the jokes. But Julia is the ewe from hell. First she prolapsed which required some very disgusting maneuvering with a contraption called a "spoon" (trust me, doesn't look anything like a spoon!) and harnesses. I think there were 3 harnesses all told. And the dreaded vet visit was required with the dreaded vet bill and she was finally sewn up (last resort). I kept vigil during the day while Jen was at work remembering if she went into labor I was supposed to cut the stitches (yuck). I do have to say she nicely waited to go into labor until Jen was there.

Of course all of Julia's triplets (yes triplets and of course all 3 rams) had to be delivered by Jen (with cell phone instructions from the BFL mentor Kathy, bless her!). The last, who we named Peter Pan was much smaller. Yeah I know you're not supposed to name them, especially the boys. Well it seems Julia didn't count on triplets so after ignoring him she attempted to stomp him to death since we hadn't got her less than subtle attempts to tell us that twins were going to be all she would care for. This is when my sense of time, reality and all those things we anchor ourselves with, began to disappear. For you see you have to feed those little guys every four hours. So every four hours one of us would drag out to the lambing shed with a bottle. Little Peter was very appreciative and showed it with pathetic meows rather than baaas.

Then Mutton...I mean Julia, decided to prolapse again (4th time) which I discovered while feeding Peter at 3:30 in the morning. I had to wake Jen as I only function in "assistant" status for these heavy duty things. I'd never heard Jen use some of the words she used that morning. With the strength only a sleep deprived and adrenalin hyped woman who had to go to work in a couple of hours, she heaved that huge ewe up and replaced all the hardware. Once again, she looked like a trussed up Thanksgiving turkey ready for the oven.

Relative peace was established until ewe number 3, BFL Amy, decided it was time to have her babies. You know those stories woman tell of their 100 hours labors? Well Amy could one-up everyone. ON and on it went. She got up, she went down, she got up she went down. We watched her by the light of a kerosene lantern huddled in jackets marveling less and less in the miracle of birth. Then finally the bubble came. Halleluiah! But nothing else happened. She got up she laid down, she got up she laid down. Jen muttered to herself "don't make me come in there!". Then reluctantly she rose from her chair and put on the long gloves. You know...the long gloves. They mean you are going up through a mass of very icky slime in a very icky place and going to have to help dilate the exit path. Finally around 3 am, a black ram and ewe emerged after much pulling and grunting and manuvering.

And Peter needed to be feed.

The next to come was I thought was Lemara, another BFL. Jen was at work so I called her as I saw a new lamb in the lambing pen. I thought it was amazing that this little lamb was already on it's feet and it looked as though another twin would come. Jen raced home and on seeing the Lemara in the pasture said that's not Lemara, it's Dot! Well Dot is a Cheviot who did not lamb last year and had no bag this year so we thought she was not breed. Silly us. Tried to graft Peter but Dot was not to be fooled. Even with yucky slime all over him she knew this was not her baby and one baby was enough thank you very much.

The next to lamb was one of my Shetland's. As most people who read this might know Shetlands are a primitive breed and thank god they know what to do. Lily plopped her first lamb out in the pasture and then her second (a ewe and a ram). She nicely followed us carrying the lambs into her pen with no fuss. Things were looking up! I left to go home humbled and appreciative of the experience with Peter in tow since someone had to feed him.

We still had four ewes to go. We looked forward to Cybil's giving birth as she had been an ideal mother the previous year and again we had hopes of grafting Peter. Jen called me when Cybil was in labor yeah. Well Cybil had twins, 2 ewes. Cybil is a very tame ewe, we call her the "souther belle" of sheep. She would "faint" if the Border collies tried to herd her so she was excused from that indignity. She loved to have her head scratched and would even turn to have her butt scratched and wag it like a dog. Only problem with Cybil is she has ENORMOUS teats. I am talking cow size teats. Second problem we discovered is she prefers single lambs. Cybil, the consummate mother rejected her second lamb. Actually we believe that little Eve crawled thru the cattle panel during the night and by the time Jen found her and tossed her back in, Cybil had made up her mind that 1 lamb was plenty. So our hopes of grafting Peter were dashed and a second bottle lamb Evie was created.

This is where I will hassle my good friend Jennifer for oh the next 50 years or so. I, the "city girl", respected all the rules, feed the lamb by his mother. Don't bring the lamb inside. Don't let the lamb be around the Border collies etc. Jennifer the "farm girl" has put a diaper on Evie, has her in a dog kennel inside and her dog Sophie is playing with Evie and she has become a house sheep!! Oh yes I will hassle her for at least 50 years! (She is damn cute though clopping around the kitchen in her little diaper.) She looks like an easter card! (Umm...Jen here. In my defense, little Eve is a EWE lamb, not a ram lamb. As I have explained, we don't attach to the boys, only the girls. So there! See, there is a benefit to maintaining the website, I get to edit what goes in it ;)

Well, I will end my entry here. There are still three Ewes (that we know of) that haven't lambed. I am hopeful they will repeat the story of last year. And yes I have learned a lot. Mostly, I have learned that lambing is one great big deal. Wonderful, awful, exhausting and exhilarating. And thank God it is only once a year!

March 13, 2009 (Bridget)

"Horse Sense"

Just after we had made the deal for the farm, we were there while the previous owner was moving out. In the pasture were two quarter horses. He inquired if we would like to buy them. Well, romantic notions about horses from when I was a kid ran through my head. Have always loved them but really know nothing about them. Asked if they could be ridden "oh yes and the mare is bred". So, on an impulse I bought Gracie a beautiful grey roan quarter horse. My education was about to begin.

First thing we discovered about Gracie was that she did not like to be caught. Oh no, the clever equine was not to be fooled by buckets of grain, bribes of apples or carrots, not Gracie! Then the limp started. So we drove her into the corral and had a local vet come out who thought she had a soft tissue injury. Being concerned about being kicked, he only examined her from a distance (obviously not a horse vet). He prescribed some anti-inflammatory medicine and went away...quickly. Her leg got better and we set about trying to tame her a bit. Jen eventually developed a strategy to walk her down and she allowed us to halter her. Then the limp returned with a vengeance. We had another vet come out who had the wisdom to sedate her and x ray the leg. He discovered she had an old injury that had been aggravated and the vet advised against ever riding her.

So Gracie began her life of leisure. Lesson one was learned. Do not buy a horse that hasn’t been examined by someone who knows something about horses. Then lesson two started. Seems that mares need to be fed something other than fescue to insure a healthy foal. Guess what mostly grows in those pastures out there? Fescue! So Gracie and a companion horse Gypsy were put in the paddock and given a lovely diet of hastily ordered brome hay and mare and foal food. She was also given all the shots she needed. At this point she got a new last name: Gracie Money pit.

The previous owners had told us the foal would be born in April or May of 2008. We began researching foaling. Lesson two now emerged. Foaling could be a very tricky thing and dedicated horse people actually stable their horses and sleep out there to assist in case of trouble. Oh boy we thought we were really in trouble now. Gracie was in no way going to let us assist at anything.

So foal watch began with trepidation. April passed...May passed...then June passed. We now had been feeding her gourmet food for about 6 months. The morning I was to begin a Colorado vacation Gracie had her foal! She did it by herself with no fanfare and turned out to be a terrific mother. A filly we named Breeze was born July 6th. And she was such a pretty little thing. We were able to do some touching and holding but Gracie was none too pleased –blocking our efforts much of the time.

Well, time passed and Breeze turned six months old and it was past time for her shots and we hadn’t gotten a halter on her yet. Gracie defeats every effort we try and make to do so. We decided it was time to separate them. We put Breeze in the corral adjoining the barn and with the help of our friends Bobby and Wendy, encouraged Breeze into a stall. She didn’t like our touching her face so we weren’t optimistic. Bobby arrived with all kinds of ropes and my heart rate went up. Why hadn’t we done this before she weighed 300 lbs? So Jennifer, Wendy and Bobby sent me on an errand (they think I don’t know it was to get me out of there but I was not born yesterday you know!) I hear some kicking from the stall and shouts to me not to worry. When I arrived back in the stall she was standing quietly with a halter on. Hmmm.

She learned very quickly to avoid stepping on the lead rope attached to teach her not to pull against it.
The next week with a copy of a book on horse training, a bucket of feed we began teaching her to lead. And she did wonderfully! She has now learned to back, whoa and go forward, quite quickly actually. Initially she balked a bit but responded to the taps behind her or on her back. She has even learned to ignore her mom’s whinnies in the next pasture when we are working with her. Well placed rewards from the bucket of grain are working miracles. She now loves to have her ears scratched and her face rubbed and her father’s calmer disposition is showing itself. Her mother is very skittish and we were concerned she was picking up on this behavior but the separation has helped. She now lets us pick up all her hooves and use the hoof pick on her and leads very nicely.

The vet came out and she stood quietly while he gave her inoculations. It truly looked like a scene from “All Creatures Great and Small.” Breeze was standing quietly, the two Pyrenees wandered around waiting for their turns. Meanwhile the wethers and rams were eagerly checking out the vets equipment hoping for some grain. Gypsy the three year old mare also stood quietly by. We had put her in with Breeze while she was being weaned and was a much more positive influence than her mother being a very calm mare. Next came the worming. Again I was nervous. We had given it before in her grain but this time we needed to use the paste. But with some good advice from Bobby I stuck my finger in her mouth with some molasses which she loved and we followed that with the wormer. Again, all went well. With praise from the vet we patted ourselves on our backs.

At nine months Breeze remains very friendly and responsive. She loves to be brushed and have her hooves cleaned. She is best buddies with one of rams that she is pastured with and has learned to ignore all when the Border collies are herding the wethers and rams. When cleaning the corral I can always count on some supervision from Breeze. Our lessons will continue I am sure but the most current one is that with advice, perseverance and dumb luck even the most naïve city woman can learn!

Februrary 21, 2009 (Jen)

Its been a while since my last entry, not a lot going on in January, just waiting for those lambs to grow and preparing for shearing. I've been building lambing pens, cleaning out barns and arranging things so they'll be as conveninent as possible. Since this is just our second year, I still don't have a pattern or set routine but I'm sure that will come with years of practice.

Shelves were one thing I wanted and didn't have last year. Shelves and hooks to hang things on so those were some new additions to the lambing shed. Creative uses for cattle panels emerge almost weekly, what did we do before those things?? I swear I'm going to find a use for them in the house one of these days...something to hang pots off of :)!

The temperature swings this winter have been a roller coaster ride. Very little snow, just an inch or 2 here and there. Certainly nothing like last winter. Yesterday it was in the 50's and today back in the low 30's and thats been typical this season. Can't complain! At least it allows the hoses to thaw so I can water regularly. There were a few weeks that stayed in the sub-freezing temps and those days were real challenges for watering. My intention had been to haul water from the hydrant on the house in a barrel in the wagon with the lawn mower. Silly me. The lawnmower wouldn't start and now has 2 flat tires and the spigot on the house froze up solid. The only thing that ended up working was filling buckets in the kitchen sink and carrying them to the sheep and horses. Sheep don't drink that much but the horses definitely do. With all the snow last winter, there wasn't as much need for watering the sheep but horses always need fresh water.

We sheared the ewes last Monday (Presidents Day) as well as vaccinated and wormed them. With all their wool off, its much easier to see their condition and I have to say, they look good. I thought Julia and Goldie were fat but they're really not. Poor old Ruthie is skinny but I don't think she's bred so she'll get to stay in with the preggies and eat as much as she wants. So we are ready for the games to begin! My guess is Julia and Cybil will be first, they just look ready, really ready. Our starting date is February 26th and we look to be right on schedule. I've taken the 2nd week in March off so hopefully a few hold out until then so I can really enjoy it. I've put my order in for nice weather that week...think I'll get it?

Oh, I finished the "Roark Shawl"! I'm very pleased with how it turned out, the color is just beautiful. I ended up enjoying the pattern very much, it was a lot of fun to knit!

 

 

December 30, 2008 (Jen)

Well, I made the tough decision to deconstruct the sweater I’d been knitting out of Roark’s fleece. Roark is my chocolate BFL/BL ram that sired all those beautiful lambs last spring. He has stunning fleece and lots of it. I’ve been painstakingly washing it, careful to maintain lock formation and then flick carding the tips and spinning it into a fine (fine for me anyway) 2 ply yarn. I’d started knitting a nice waffle knit sweater out of it but things went horribly wrong. For starters, I’m a self taught knitter, I guess a lot of us are. When it comes to shaping though, I have difficulties. But I like to challenge myself so I tend to take on patterns that do just that. Because this is handspun, it wasn’t the yarn weight recommended for the pattern, at least I don’t think so. So I tried to knit a gauge swatch (this still baffles me) and changed to what I thought were appropriate size needles to adjust for the difference in yarn weight. It was supposed to be a medium sized sweater. Lets just say the way it was going I could have fit the Hulk in this thing…well, a very short hulk. Such a shame. The pattern was looking nice but it was obvious it wasn’t going to work and why waste such beautiful fiber? So unravel it I did. Wasn’t as painful as I thought it would be. Actually, it was liberating. That sweater had been eating away at my subconscious for far too long, nagging at me to finish it. I knew I could finish it but who, what would it fit when I was done?? So, its gone, I don’t have to worry about it ANYMORE!

So I balled up the yarn and decided I was going to knit up a wrap. I’d seen a pattern on knitty.com that I really liked and Caryn (Miller) had put the idea in my head to knit a shawl, this was a nice compromise. The one thing I should have taken into consideration is that knitty.com is the same place I got the sweater pattern from...hmm. Don’t get me wrong, nothing wrong with the patterns there. They have some amazing stuff, I LOVE knitty.com. Might not be for the beginning knitter though, at least not the “tangy” ones I keep choosing anyway.

I took the bull by the horns, how hard could it be?? It’s a rectangle for heavens sake! No shaping, just good ole fashioned knitting. Oy VEY! Whats that they say, exercise the mind and it will keep it young? Well, my mind will be around 12 when I get done with this project. I had to back out 3 rows while watching Storm Chasers on TLC and Downunder Horsemanship on RFDTV. I’m trying to learn how to train a horse and at the same time I’m high on adrenaline from watching people chasing tornadoes (or being chased rather) and knit a difficult pattern with 6 bored Border collies in the house (I’m dog sitting Bridget’s 3). Now how stupid am I?? Finally on one row, I ended up chanting the pattern as I knitted it (knit one, yarn over, knit one, yarn over, slip stitch…knit 2 togeetheerrrr…pass slipped stitch ooovvveerrr and start all over again “to end”. That worked great kept me focused. I’ve no idea, however, how to end the lunging session with the unmannered 2 yr old thoroughbred or if they got the coveted shot inside the tornado for the IMax film.

At one point I glanced up to make sure Jack, the 1 yr old (Border collie) wasn't chewing thru an electrical cord or dismantling the computer (again) to find them all quietly staring at me. I’d just hypnotized 6 dogs with my pattern chant. Way to go Fitz! Alas, the spell was broken when a doorbell rang on some stupid commercial. Good grief, you’d think burglars were trying to break down the door. Dogs go flying off the sofa, someone’s freshly clipped claw caught on the ball of yarn ripping the newly started knitting out of my hands and into the air it goes looking like a bird in flight. Thankfully the house is small so they couldn’t go far. Heavy sigh. Oh well, I’m sure that last row needed to be ripped out anyway.

I actually got about 20 rows done before my sleepy eyes came on (more like dead to the world eyes) and I finally forced myself to stop knitting. I’m like one of those kids in a high chair trying to shovel spaghetti in my mouth and falling asleep in my plate, which in my case is when the knitting needle goes up my nose and I awake abruptly to several Border collies staring at me…again. Of course when they see the eyes open, they start jumping up and down, screeching with joy “she’s ALIVE! SHE’S ALIVE!!”. Yes. I am alive (rolling eyes).

So as you can imagine, I simply can’t wait to get back to knitting this evening (lol). Actually I’m in that “conquer it” mode. By George I will not let this pattern win!! I keep unconsciously going over the pattern in my head, like having an annoying tune that you can’t quit humming. Knit 2 together thru the back loop, yarn over, knit one, yarn over, knit one, knit 2 together…

Happy New Year everyone! Happy spinning, knitting, weaving and felting! And guess what?? 2009 is the International Year of Natural Fiber!! How cool is that?!

 

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December 14, 2008 (Jen)

Just got back from taking the dogs for a walk in the back pasture. I can do that now that my friends horses are gone (all 15 of them). I missed taking the dogs back there but the horses were a bit too curious and the dogs were seriously outnumbered. Its like a Christmas smorgasbord out there now. Horse poop, deer scat and obviously coyote scat as well. There are also a couple of very swampy areas, niiiccce and muddy. Doesn't get much better than that for a dog. The aroma of wildlife poop still lingers in the air, even after the 3 doggie baths. Hence the Northern Pine Glade candle burning...it does help :).

The wind has been howling for at least 48 hrs now, gusts up to 50 mph. As Bridget said once, I understand how people went insane during the Dust Bowl. It can be very windy here but this is ridiculous. The temperatures have been in the 50's and 60's along with the wind, crazy for December. Knowing that was soon going to change, I decided it was a good time to take the dogs out. Bridget had planned to come out, but I assumed with the weather forecast, she'd stay home.

So off we go, thru the sheep pasture, Fynn and Sophie safely on leash...Nora hoping for that "come bye" command that didn't come. I get them into the back 30 (acres) and turn them loose. Of course Fynn and Soph immediately go for the poop. Nora knows there is a tennis ball in my pocket so she's poking me to throw it. Ah, it feels good to just enjoy the warm winds and watch the dogs run (and roll).

We get about 3/4's of the way down the pasture and I find one of the many holes, twist my ankle and go sprawling. So I rolled over on my back and lay there watching the storm clouds fly by. Its comfortable there so I decide to just hang out for a minute. Who cares that there is a large pile of horse poop next to my ear, my ankle hurts. Then I hear heavy breathing, very heavy breathing...not Fynn, Sophie or Nora breathing. My head is kinda going downhill so I can't get up fast. As I'm struggling to get up, two very large white and black furry faces push me back down again and lick me in the face. The Pyrs, Will and Oliver. They must've seen us and come to investigate. Oh how happy they were to have playmates! Yippeeee! Then Fynn bites Ollie. Oh Fynn, you apparently have no idea that Oliver could kick your scrawny butt from here to China. Then again, Fynn is now running in the other direction so maybe he does lol. All was forgotten, the Pyrs are like that. They know the Border collies are fools so they just ingore their stupidity...most of the time. So Will helps me up and we continue our walk.

The clouds are really threatening by now, I do love weather! I was working up a sweat, had worn a coat despite the temps and now wish I hadn't. I unsnap it and let it blow open and WOOOSH! There's the cold front! One second (literally) its 60 degrees, next I can see my breath!!! We were no more than a few hundred yards from the back gate but by the time we got to the house, my face hurt from the cold. I have never experienced a temperature drop like that before, simply amazing.

So we're back in the house, dogs washed and sulking. The wind is still howling, now from the north instead of the south. The horses and sheep have shifted their positions and continue to munch happily. Time for me to grab some wool and hunker down for the afternoon. Just another Sunday on the farm :).

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November 2008 (by Bridget)

One fall day we were gazing at the bucolic picture of the sheep grazing in the pasture from the front porch. If you listened you could actually hear them munching eagerly on the grass as the moved slowly across the pasture. That is…all but Kelly. Kelly is a black Shetland Mule lamb (Shetland/BFL) born in March of 08. Kelly is, we think, “acting” as though he is a strapping young virile ram. It is comical to watch this little guy mounting a much larger Cheviot. It kind of reminds one of a Dachshund having affection for a Great Dane. Like all the other ram lambs, he had been banded a few days after birth.

However, we began having an unsettled feeling that perhaps we should check for hopefully the absence of anything on his belly. So the next day we captured the indignant Kelly and discovered that alas his jewels were intact. Apparently the band broke.

Since he is a beautiful fleece sheep and I have vowed none of my lambs will end up on the dinner table we make an appointment with the country vet.
Jen somehow manages to get him in Big Red and we meet in Holt. (Big Red is a very old truck that now has to be jump started every time we take it anywhere - both directions.)

We arrive on a very cold and windy afternoon. The vet examines him and decides it is too cold to do the simple operation on the bed of the truck so we carry him inside to where the dogs and cats are altered. He then announces that Jen and I will assist and puts us in position to hold Kelly’s back and front legs. I need to add here that Jen is a farm girl and steps up to the plate with no hesitation. I however have only the idealic images of farm life in my head and never expected to be looking at a pair of sheep testicles eight inches from my face. I quickly reevaluate my values as to whether or not I could maybe let one lamb go to the dinner table. But it is too late. Aware of the limited time that anesthesia would keep Kelly out the vet worked fast. I now understand where the term “ball buster “came from.

So, we put Kelly who is very annoyed with us back in the dog crate in the back of the pickup. We jump start Big Red and Jen takes off like she does leaving me in the dust. I soon lose track of her and miss the turn to the farm. Soon the cell phone rings and Jen is on the other end very patiently inquiring into my whereabouts. “Where are you?” I have to confess that as usual I am lost. So with remote guidance I find the farm. Jen has placed Kelly with two of the other wethers in the barn. I anxiously look at Kelly as the vet had made a passing comment about intestines falling out that had alarmed me but could see nothing dangling from below just one pissed off ex ram who was completely disgusted with us.

So another chapter was completed for me in that very large book of What Bridget Doesn’t Know About Farming.
Sigh.

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July 20, 2008 (by Jen)
Today I got up early, the fog was thick which is unusual for a July morning. It was cool but quite muggy which meant it would be brutal later in the day with temps approaching 95. So I decided to grab the chain saw and finish cleaning out the cedars in the fence row. As much as I love cedars, they are death to the fleeces as the tips of the cedar breaks off into the wool when the sheep lay under them. I’ve already seen some sprigs on the back of some of the sheep which I hurriedly plucked out (ouch!). Bridget is on thistle detail this summer and it is her goal to kill each and every thistle on the property, bless her!

There was a nice cool breeze, just a beautiful morning. I was being daring by not putting jeans on. I already have a good case of poison ivy on my arms from last weekends go at the fence line. What’s a little more on the legs? I thought I only had a little bit left but realized once I got down there that I really only got about ½ of it done last weekend. It is hard work but very rewarding to feel the breeze flowing thru once the tree is felled. I’ve left some elms and brush oak along the outside to keep shade for the sheep to lie in. So now it’s done, thank heaven! There’s still a ton of cedars in the back pasture but until it’s ready for sheep, they’ll stay there.

I also harvested the first ears of corn and cherry tomatoes from the garden today. Also cut some swiss chard and plucked some zucchinis (before they turn into baseball bats) and my first acorn squash. I love having fresh produce at my disposal plus its so pretty to look at! I made up a nice quiche with some local farm fresh eggs, swiss chard, cherry tomatoes and herbs from the herb pot off the back porch. Yummy!

Now that the day has become hot and humid, I’m sitting in the nice cool house with all the dogs and will get started on that waffle knit sweater that I’m knitting with Roark’s fleece. It’s a dream to work with and the colors are nice and tweedy. Once finished, it will be available for sale in the Dream Fibers store!